The Economic Impact of Walking Routes: A Tourism-Led Growth Perspective in Italy

Maria Giovanna Brandano and Martina Dal Molin
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Maria Giovanna Brandano: Gran Sasso Science Institute
Martina Dal Molin: Vilnius University

No 2025-11, Discussion Paper series in Regional Science & Economic Geography from Gran Sasso Science Institute, Social Sciences

Abstract: This article investigates whether and to what extent a new form of slow tourism, namely the tourism linked to walking routes, can be a driver for the economic growth of the destinations. Our main hypothesis is that the presence of a walking route in a province, or its number, could positively impact the economic growth in Italian destination provinces, measured as the Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP per capita). A new version of the Tourism-Led Growth Hypothesis (TLGH) model is used by adding the variable that measures the presence of walking routes in the 103 Italian provinces for the period 2000-2022. Results report that the presence of the walking route and its number, weighted by the provincial surface, positively contribute to economic growth. These findings demonstrate that an alternative tourism, with respect to mass tourism, can enhance marginalised destinations, foster economic development and a better quality of life for residents, via its economic impact.

Keywords: slow tourism; walking routes; economic growth; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 L83 O18 R11 Z32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2025-02, Revised 2025-02
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ahy:wpaper:wp73

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